This invention relates to lighting of the body attached type, and more particularly to a belt with a safety light that may be switched on and off when a light housing is rotated.
Poor visibility is a serious problem at night for pedestrians, outdoor workers, and outdoor exercisers, such as joggers and the like. The difficulty of maneuvering oneself safely on foot on a roadway, field or yard is well known to walkers, joggers, police officers, firefighters, construction workers, railroad workers, and maintenance persons, especially if the person is carrying something or working with their hands.
There have been many attempts to increase pedestrian visibility such as brightly colored and/or reflective clothing. However, little has been done to provide visibility for the pedestrian other than hand-held flashlights. These are impractical, difficult to turn on in the dark and inconvenient for those wishing to keep their hands free for other tasks.
Various patents have been issued which attempt solutions to the above problems. Included among these are Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,979, issued on Sep. 3, 1991 (hereinafter referred to as the '979 patent). The safety light belt disclosed in the '979 patent provides a belt with a light holder mounted on the front thereof. A small light, such as a miniature flashlight, is mounted therein. The holder is so constructed that the light is aimed downward and forward of the belt wearer. Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,168, issued on Oct. 19, 1993 (hereinafter referred to as the '168 patent), disclosed an improvement on her original safety light belt. The safety light belt of the '168 patent provides a belt with an adjustable light holder mounted on the front thereof. A small light is mounted therein. The holder is so constructed that the light may be forwardly aimed horizontally or downwardly of the belt wearer in discrete steps.